Amid clouds of change, “The Sun comes out every day”
“An old-school newspaperman, Rasmussen stands out in the digital newsroom. He is a glimpse of The Sun’s past: a bow-tie is fastened around his neck and a gold watch on a chain sits in thepocket of his vest. His computer is buried underneath piles of notepads and books.
Since 1992, Rasmussen has handled one of the essential services of the 180-year-old newspaper: informing the public of the deaths of people from Baltimore. His obituaries are some of The Sun’s most-read pieces, both online and in print.”
“Paul McCardell, that invaluable sole researcher, spent so much time in the newsroom growing up that he likes to joke that he was born at The Sun. Since beginning work in the library in 1983, his job has been constantly changing. In 1991, the library began transitioning to an online format. Now, almost everything is digitized and only a skeleton of the former library remains.
‘I feel like I time travel every day,’ says McCardell.”
“‘We didn’t envision any of this,’ says Rasmussen. When the internet first came to The Sun, no one thought that it would be as popular as it is. And no one knows what the next big thing will be or how it will affect the way news is spread. Journalists at The Sun are confident the paper will persevere, but it is hard to imagine the newsroom changing even more.”
by Clara Symmes
